Doctors stage a protest outside Health ministry, over their safety in the wake of R.G. Kar Medical College incident on August 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Despite orders by the Union Health Ministry directing its institutes to put in place additional measures to provide security to healthcare employees at workplace, resident doctors from several parts of the country on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) maintained that they will continue with suspension of services from all elective areas including OPD, elective OT, ward services and lab services on Wednesday.
โEmergency services will remain operational throughout this period to ensure the continued care and safety of patients,โ said resident doctorsโ groups.
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Following the brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata on August 9, doctors have been holding agitations demanding better and safer workplaces.
The doctors on strike are demanding immediate and transparent investigation and to prosecute the perpetrators with the utmost severity in the Kolkata case, urgently implement the โCentral Protection Act for Doctorsโ, increased security in hospitals nationwide to prevent any such crimes in the future and CCTV cameras installed in every hospital in India, particularly in high-risk zones.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has listed out a series of measures for its institutes to enhance security including mapping of dark spots, mock drills for staff and not deploying women health professionals alone for night duty.
An advisory issued by the Union government for its health institutes notes that women health professionals should preferably not be deployed for night duty alone, they should be escorted in premises while on duty and proper arrangement of secured transport should be made for them for any movement at night. It has also recommended an adequate number of well-secured duty rooms with basic amenities for female health professionals.
The Health Ministry, in an order issued earlier this week, listed a series of measures for its institutes including strict monitoring of the entry and exit, limiting the number of people allowed in for the patients, mock drills for emergency situations, mandatory display of identity card by all hospital staff while on duty and mapping of dark spots in the campus to enhance the security.
The Ministry earlier also ruled out bringing in any Central law for the safety of healthcare professionals. It noted that government hospitals are more permeable to the public compared to private facilities, making it easier for unauthorised individuals to enter freely.
โWhile accessibility is important for providing care, it can also pose security risks. Hospitals sometimes become targeted by acts of violence, including assault on staff, which can be related to disputes, dissatisfaction with medical care, or external criminal activities. Ensuring safety of healthcare professionals is vital,โ the Ministry said.
Violence or harassment against staff can disrupt operations and affect quality of care provided to patients.
The Ministry said that addressing these concerns requires a comprehensive approach to security that balances accessibility with effective measures to protect patients, staff and integrity of the facility.
It has also sought that health centres should display relevant penal provisions of the State legislation to prevent violence against healthcare workers in hospital premises, installing sufficient number of high-resolution CCTV cameras at strategic locations, etc.
